'Happy Death Day' scares off 'Blade Runner'

The box office might be struggling this year, but the horror genre is alive and well.

This weekend the "Groundhog Day"-like horror pic "Happy Death Day" scored a first-place finish, surpassing expectations and blowing the much costlier and star-driven "Blade Runner 2049" out of the water.

Studio estimates Sunday show "Happy Death Day" took in $26.5 million from 3,149 North American theaters. Given its $5 million production price tag, "Happy Death Day" is already a hit.

With a PG-13 rating, the film scored big with younger audiences — 63 percent were under 25.

It's the latest success story from Blumhouse Productions, which earlier this year released "Split" and "Get Out," with the help of distributor Universal Pictures.

Horror continues to be one of the bright spots during a roller coaster year at the box office. One film that does not look destined for a happy ending is "Blade Runner 2049," which fell 54 percent in its second weekend in theaters, adding $15.1 million to bring its domestic total to $60.6 million.

The film was a costly endeavor with a production price tag north of $150 million and was well-reviewed by critics, but it couldn't manage to draw in significant audiences beyond the fans of the 1982 original, which was also a flop upon release.

Jackie Chan's "The Foreigner" debuted in third place with $12.8 million from 2,515 screens, while "It" landed in fourth place in its sixth weekend in theaters.